Diminuendo
by BKK
Summary: The sequel to Crescendo. Batman and Wonder Woman find themselves working with an unlikely ally to find the traitor inside Cadmus. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is the sequel to Crescendo. While I am not about to make anyone do anything, I recommend giving it a read before you get too far into this. It'll make more sense.

I don't own anything. All the characters are the property of DC Comics. This holds for this entire work (I am not going to put it at the top of every chapter).

**Prologue-**

His meetings were held in the same conference room where _she_ held staff meetings because he was right and there was no reason to hide. However, he held them after hours, _after her hours_, which meant coming back to the building in the middle of the night, because if she found out, she would fire him.

Or worse.

She had been tainted by the ones she vowed to pursue. He had tried, diplomatically, to tell her and she had scoffed. So, because she wouldn't do it, he would. She could even get the credit; that didn't matter to him. What mattered was the menace was eliminated.

He reflected on all of this as he waited for the last member of his team. Because he was correct, it had been easy to recruit other staff members to take some time from their projects for _her_ and do some projects that might have positive results.

When the last member arrived, he stood. Despite the late hour, he was wearing a suit and tie. The tie was still tightened. He didn't expect the members of his team to dress as well, but it was an important example to set.

He studied the people sitting around the table, making sure his eyes connected with each of them before he spoke.

"The attempt to unmask The Flash failed as I said it would," he said. "We need to move our focus away from the metas and unmask the ones we have a better chance against."

There was an uncomfortable grumbling in the room as the others considered what he had left unsaid.

"We need to unmask a Founder which makes our choice obvious. And, by destroying Batman, we may save the organization."

There. He had said it and, more importantly, he had meant it.

And, even more importantly than that, he was right.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

Her brain was screaming at her. The warrior part of her demanded that she do something while the strategic part (she thought of it as the commander part of her) screamed that she needed to keep a level head and wait.

The commander won. After all, Diana was the one who had found the bomb.

The kryptonite colored bomb was placed under the cape of an unconscious Batman. She and Superman had found hanging fifteen stories in the air from a girder of a building in Metropolis. He was hanging over the girder, arms above his head, by a pair of handcuffs.

She wanted to pull Batman off the building. It would be so easy. She wanted to know why he was still unconscious and if leaving him there was only making it worse. His breathing was shallow but fairly consistent. She was hovering in the air next to him, guarding him but keeping a safe distance in case there was something else rigged to him they hadn't seen yet. She would be the first thing he saw if he regained consciousness.

She wouldn't, couldn't touch him because she knew that someone had left him there like that on the assumption that one of them, probably Superman by the tell-tale green glow of the bomb, would scoop Batman off the building without paying any attention.

When she found that someone……

"We need Atom!" she heard Superman shout to the Watchtower through his communicator. "I don't care if he is in the middle of a lecture. Emergency transport now!"

Wonder Woman was sure there had been some acknowledgement of the command but it hadn't really registered with her.

"Diana, I need you down here when Palmer arrives," Superman said through the communicator. He was on the ground, keeping a safe distance.

Atom was the right answer. He would be able to get small enough to disconnect any traps without setting them off. She knew that. A large part of her just didn't want to wait.

Whatever had been done to Batman wasn't going to be fixed by allowing him to hang there. And the dishonor of letting him stay there was becoming harder to deal with.

"Get down here," he repeated. "Atom will tell us when it is safe to touch him."

"On my way," she said without bothering with the communicator. He could hear her.

She floated down to the ground, her boots hitting concrete at the same time Ray Palmer appeared beside Superman.

"Look," Dr. Palmer said, "I appreciate my skills put me in demand, but a little warning isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Diana pointed towards Batman.

Palmer's expression and tone changed completely. "Oh. Oh no. Oh no. I'm sorry. Get me up there."

Diana put her hand out and Palmer shrunk and leapt into her palm. With no embarrassment, she placed him in the bodice of her armor and took to the air. It was the safest place for him to be when she flew and they were adults.

Atom stayed large enough to be seen until he hopped onto the girder and approached Batman. Diana saw the light as Atom shrunk and then heard his voice on the communicator.

"Can you hear me?" Atom asked.

"Loud and clear," Superman answered.

Diana let that be the answer. Time was passing and Batman was still hanging there.

"Good. Okay, yes, I can see the problem. Wow. Yeah. That is high grade kryptonite and, I don't know that I've ever seen it ground before." Atom said, his tone shifting with academic curiosity. "Someone with a lot of resources did this."

"Luthor?" Superman asked immediately.

"He has the resources, but this doesn't have his vibe. There it is. Oh yeah, I can disarm it and we can study it."

Diana floated back in front of Batman. Atom hadn't announced there was anything else so, while she would await word before moving him, she was willing to move a little closer.

She saw the burn marks on the cowl then. It meant one thing.

Someone had tried to take his cowl off and had set off the defensive systems, including the electric surge. She stared at the blackened streak and allowed her rage to take over.

"I'll be back," she said over the communicator and flew away.

It was time to fulfill a promise.

* * *

Amanda Waller was enjoying the feeling of the sunlight hitting her back through the window in her office. It was the only thing about the day she was enjoying so far. Something was going on and she didn't know what it was.

Two had called in sick, which wasn't all that unusual. Granted, she usually didn't get the call, but they were in her executive circle. One had called claiming to have stomach issues, but she could hear the sounds of a hospital emergency room in the background. When she asked him where he was, he had said he was at home.

Lying to Amanda Waller was foolish. Lying badly to Amanda Waller was just stupid.

The other one didn't call. His wife did and she clearly was repeating what she was told to say. To make matters more interesting, Amanda got the impression that she hadn't seen her husband. So who gave her the script and how?

What could those two, former military commandos, have gotten themselves involved in? And was it the same thing or two separate events?

Amanda was not a big believer in coincidences but they did, on very rare occasions, exist.

She made a quick note on her computer in her personal code. She would figure it out.

In retrospect, had Amanda not been puzzling over what had become of her staff, she probably would have heard something coming outside her window. However, as it actually happened, she got no warning at all, just the sound of glass shattering. In fact, she didn't realize what was happening until she was airborne and leaving her office building.

Years of training kept her from panicking. She was too high in the air to survive a fall so she suppressed her instinct to struggle. Instead, she looked up.

Wonder Woman had her. She wasn't looking at Amanda; she was flying ahead with the focused look of a driver.

"This is a bad idea," Amanda said, having to shout to make herself heard.

Diana's lips spread into an angry bitter smile.

"You would know about those, I think. But today, I am going to give you an up-close look at one of your bad ideas."

Amanda scanned her memory. Nothing came to mind. There were lots of things in development, but in early stages.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said honestly.

"Let me remind you then," the Amazon answered and removed all emotion from her face.

Amanda spent the next few minutes trying to remember details of Wonder Woman's flying. Was she hampered at all carrying a person at such speed? How high were they flying? How fast? Could any of this information be used to Cadmus' advantage?

She had never seen Metropolis from this height. She had flown over it in an airplane and she had been on the ground in the city, but not this mid-range. It was fascinating. She wondered what detail she might see if they slowed down.

And then they did.

She was hovering in front of Batman. Unconscious but showing no signs of injuries. His uniform was dirty but it was hard to know exactly what the stains were. He was handcuffed and hanging off the building as if he was a Dark Ages prisoner in a dungeon.

It was unsettling. She hadn't realized she had tried to touch him until she momentarily dipped as Wonder Woman let one hand go to tap Amanda's down.

"Tell me what they did to him. Other than the kryptonite bomb," Wonder Woman said.

"I didn't authorize this," Amanda whispered. She had hopes to get Batman on her side. He almost understood. He didn't agree with her methods, but he could come around.

She was sinking, slowing, still being held by the Amazon. Her knees buckled when her feet touched concrete but she caught herself. Superman glared above her – clearly at Wonder Woman.

"Why is she here?" he asked

"Because she is behind this," was the hard reply.

"We don't know that."

It was time to defend herself.

"I didn't do this," Amanda said.

"No," Wonder Woman snarled. "You didn't _do_ it. You ordered it. You want the League unmasked to the world. I don't expect action from you. But you will tell me what you've done to him so we can fix it."

The Amazon leaned in and Amanda caught the scent of soap and sweat. On Wonder Woman, it smelled good.

"Atom is working at the subatomic level to undo everything so we can take him down without blowing up him, us and the building," she hissed. "You are going to tell me what you allowed him to be injected with so that he would remain unconscious. Because every second he isn't with our doctors is another second that stuff kills him just a bit more."

Amanda caught the smallest hint of a tremor in the League member's voice but her relationship with Batman wasn't news to her.

Amanda looked back up to the figure of Batman. It bothered her to see him like that. It bothered her a bit more that it bothered her but she would sort that out later.

"I didn't authorize this," she repeated, this time louder.

"I don't believe you," Wonder Woman said.

"Diana –" Superman said in warning.

"Do you?" Wonder Woman demanded.

Amanda wondered what Superman would say, but they both reached to their ear and listened for a moment.

"Great, Atom! Thanks! Okay, Watchtower, ready? Emergency medical transport for Batman! Then get the bomb to the lab and then…" Superman paused. "Atom, _what_? Repeat that! …J'onn, did you hear that? When I find out who did this…."

Amanda looked up and watched Batman disappear into a beam of light and heard Wonder Woman's strangled sob of relief and anxiety.

She lowered her eyes as Superman's voice trailed off. She met his blue eyes, hoping she was radiating bored indignity. He was radiating barely contained sorrow and anger.

"Ms Waller, I'm afraid we need to talk to you a little more," Superman said, politely but leaving no room for argument.

"She's coming with us," Wonder Woman said.

Amanda turned towards the Amazon in time to feel her face explode.

_She can't punch _me was Amanda's last thought before the blackness and the concrete claimed her.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Okay, I feel the need to say that I really only watch the cartoon. I will start reading comics but if I go against something in one of the comics, I beg forgiveness. And, along those lines, if someone wants to be a Beta reader, send me a note.

Chapter Two

_Head. Hurts._

Batman kept his eyes closed. Some days it bothered him that he had a routine for when he regained conscious and wasn't sure where he was. But most days he just left it alone. He was, after all, regaining consciousness….

The routine was simple. Test the extremities for movement – checking for both injury and restraints_, _confirm the cowl was in place and then, without opening his eyes, get as much information on his surroundings before letting anyone around know he was awake.

_But the pain is more tedious than agonizing._

He focused his attention to his toes. They moved without pain or stiffness. So did his fingers. Then he wrinkled his nose and felt the edge of the cowl.

He was lying flat on his back on the not-exactly-luxurious-but-serviceable mattresses common in medical beeping of medical equipment confirmed his location.

Someone moved, as if shifting in a chair, near him.

He took a deep breath. Coffee. And something knew that smell. It was clean with a hint of jasmine.

_Diana._

He heard a whisper of "Thank, Hera," which confirmed it.

"I know you're awake. You're safe," she said louder but still gentle tone.

"In the Watchtower," he finished, keeping his eyes closed.

"Yes. How do you feel?" Her hand cupped his face. When he opened his eyes, her blue eyes were sparkling with relief and joy.

"What time is it?" he asked, unconsciously putting his hand over hers. After a second, he patted it; she got the message and moved back. He sat up and flung his legs over the side of the bed in one fluid motion. His head flared as the blood adjusted but he ignored it.

Gotham would suffer if he was gone for too long. And if the word got out that the Batman wasn't on the streets…….

"Mine first," she said in her imperial voice. "Really, how do you feel? Do you remember what happened?"

"No, mine first," he said. "What time is it? What happened?"

She smiled. "I suppose that answer enough. It is three o'clock in the morning in Gotham. And, I don't know or I wouldn't ask you what happened. I found you unconscious hanging from a building in Metropolis with a kryptonite bomb rigged to your back."

Her smile had faded and for a moment, he realized she had mentally returned to Metropolis. That look was why team members shouldn't get involved. But if a little information would ease her mind…..

"My head hurts. I know who I am. I know who you are. I know where I am. I remember that Flash owes me fifty dollars. The last _pertinent_ thing I remember is the four thugs robbing the museum were a diversion for the sniper across the street. I heard the skylight shatter. But that was in Gotham, " he paused for a moment and then asked the logical question. "Where's Kent?"

"He's safe. He is here on the Watchtower."

"Then I need to get home," he said, pushing to his feet.

What little amusement was in Diana's eyes disappeared. "You have been unconscious for more than forty-five hours. Let J'onn take a look at you before you leave. Then go with my blessing."

"And if I refuse?"

Her face hardened. "Then you have to get past me."

"That could be fun," he growled.

Bruce watched Diana as she changed tactics. She 'stood down,' put her hands on her hips and smiled.

"J'onn knows exactly what drugs the sniper shot you with," Diana said as if offering a treat to a child.

"I can find that out for myself," he shot back.

"Yes, but it will take time."

It wouldn't take that much time, he knew, but he also knew that J'onn would be able to answer his medical questions.

"Look, I'll pretend you're doing it for me and you can pretend you're doing it for you and we'll both be happy," Diana said and started walking to the med-bay door.

Batman glared at her.

Diana stopped only a few feet from the door. "I need to talk to someone now. But you should focus on Gotham. I will avenge you."

Her tone reminded Bruce of how old this woman really was and of the values she was taught when she learned to be a warrior.

"Diana, I can avenge myself," he said, letting his voice give the warning.

The door behind her opened and J'onn walked into the bay. He nodded a greeting at them both. Diana motioned him towards Batman and started through the door. From the hallway, she turned only her head back towards him.

"But not like I will."

* * *

There were several holding cells in the Watchtower. But for people who needed to be hidden away for their own safety or, for whatever reason, were not evil enough for the holding cell, there were the guest quarters. They were away from the league member apartments and there was a security system in place to make sure that none of the guests wandered.

Diana was headed towards the guest quarters to see Amanda where the woman had spent the last several hours, after her release from the medical bay.

Bruce was awake, moving and seemed Bruce-like so Diana felt comfortable leaving him to talk to Amanda. Superman had been talking to her and had gotten nowhere. Amanda would not admit to participating in the attack on Batman nor did she offer any suggestions on who might have done it.

Although, since Diana wouldn't have trusted Amanda for a weather report, let alone information on Batman's attack, Diana had been content to leave Kal-El to waste his time asking Amanda questions. The Amazon had wanted J'onn to access her mind, but since there wasn't proof of her involvement, that was a breach of privacy that the Martian was not willing to make. Diana had been forbidden from using her lasso until they had some evidence that the Cadmus head was lying to them.

And it had been made quite clear to Diana that she was not allowed to punch the woman again.

But something about the denials though had Diana wondering.

She stepped through the door to Amanda's room without pausing to knock. The Cadmus head was sitting on a beige sofa in the beige room as if awaiting tea.

"Ah, so, I suppose you are the bad cop?" Amanda asked.

Diana gave her a quick, very phony smile. "No. I just had a question for you."

Amanda stood. "You are holding me, a member of the United States Federal Government, against my will. Your arrogance is unfathomable. Some would view this as an act of war."

"Some would have viewed Batman's attack as an act of war," Diana responded, keeping her voice flat.

Amanda stayed standing, but Diana's words had an impact. Amanda's face registered the threat for a moment and then smoothed back into a mask.

"How is Batman?" Amanda asked.

"He is conscious now," Diana replied.

"And?"

The Amazon supposed there was no harm in answering. "I believe he is fully recovered."

Amanda nodded once. "Good." She clearly meant it.

Diana shook a finger at her. "See, that's why I almost believe that you didn't have anything to do with this. Because even to get Superman, I don't think you'd sacrifice Batman. Not if you didn't have to. And you didn't have to."

Amanda sneered. "I thought everything I said was a lie."

Diana chose to ignore that and went to sit on a love seat across from where Amanda still stood.

"Well, consider my position on this. I know you tried to learn the identity of Flash. I know that your job is to figure out a way to neutralize the Justice League. I know that the amount and quality of the kryptonite in the bomb on Batman was very rare and very expensive. And I know someone tried to unmask Batman when he was attacked. You must see why I keep coming back to you."

Amanda sneered again. "I know who Batman is."

Diana laughed.

Amanda arched an eyebrow. "Batman and Flash are the only Founders with secret identities. Since I knew Batman's already, I wanted Flash's."

"Okay, since you know so much, who is Batman then?" Diana asked, amused by the whole thing.

"As you have pointed out, I am not one to sacrifice Batman. If he hasn't told you, far be it from me. But you said you had a question for me."

Diana's eyes narrowed. Did Amanda really think Diana would just blurt out his name to prove something? But Amanda's willingness to leave the topic was disconcerting. Diana wasn't sure what it meant.

"Yes. Who was the angriest when your attempt to unmask Flash failed?"

"What?" a stunned Amanda asked.

Diana repeated herself.

"Me. I was the angriest."

"Hum," Diana said and stood up. "Funny. Even if you didn't do this, it has to be someone at Cadmus who had the money, the access and the hate. But based on what you've said, I'm back to thinking it was you."

"I don't care what you think," Amanda snarled.

"Yeah, but I'm one of the people who decides when you get to leave," Diana said smoothly.

And left the room.

* * *

"Say that again," Batman said from the transporter pad.

Superman looked at him, a study in innocence.

"I said, I was hoping you'd talk to Amanda Waller before you left for Gotham."

"Amanda Waller is on the Watchtower?" Batman didn't try to hide the disbelief.

"Yes. Your attackers tried to remove your cowl. Diana assumed Cadmus was involved. She brought Waller here and then, based on what we learned about the bomb, we kept her. She's in the guest quarters."

"Oh, had I known we were having an Open House, I would have brought Lex and the Joker up here as well. Is this really what happens when I'm not available for a few hours?"

The Man of Steel rolled his eyes. "I wish I was as stupid as you think I am. I would be much happier, I'm sure. Although would I be able to dress myself?"

"It varies by the day."

"I want to let her go, especially since she says she had nothing to do with any of this. And I have no proof that she is lying. But, you are better at interrogating than I am."

"Send her home. I know where to find her if I need to talk to her."

"But we…"

"Send. Her. Home," Batman interrupted. "I will conduct my own investigation. But at the moment, all we've learned today is that Cadmus is Diana's boogieman and left to your own devices, you both will happily hold people for no good reason. Wait a minute; was that who Diana went to talk to?"

"I don't know. Probably."

Batman glared again. "I already have a headache. Send Waller home. Send me a report of everything you and Waller said. Get Diana to do the same. Then I can decide how big a problem this is. Oh, and I want the data on the bomb."

Without waiting for a response, he transported to the Batcave.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

"Hello. I want to talk to Samuel Wakefield, please," Diana asked the blond woman who opened the door of a detached condo located in a trendy suburb of Metropolis. After looking the tired, somewhat frazzled, expression on the woman, Diana was glad she had not come in full armor. She had opted for business woman attire – a pair of black pants and a red button-down shirt.

"Is he home?" Diana asked kindly. She didn't want to worry anyone. She really did just want to ask questions.

"What do you want?" the woman asked. Diana noticed fear in her voice.

"I need to talk to him about what happened three days ago."

Diana had not developed a talent for lying because it went against everything she was taught. However, she had discovered that she could be vague. There was something about not telling all of the truth that was an acceptable compromise between what could be necessary in Man's World and what she was taught.

"He is at work," the woman replied.

Diana smiled and tried to look innocuous, something else she hadn't developed a talent for. "No, he isn't but you know that. Sister, I am not here to hurt you or your man. I only want to talk to him. However, if you don't let me talk to him…." Diana let her voice trail off.

"He isn't well," the blonde answered, still unwilling to open the door more than a few inches.

"I know that too. And I know what happened to him. I just want to know why he was there." Diana's patience, something she didn't possess a lot of, was fading away as she stood on the doorstep.

"You aren't from his office? Or the police?"

"No. I am not."

"You look familiar. Who are you?"

"Are you going to let me in?" Diana asked.

"I don't know. It has gotten really weird recently…."

Diana's patience had run out.

"Look, you have two choices here," she said, her voice hardening. "You let me in and I talk to Samuel Wakefield for a few minutes and then I leave. Or you refuse to let me in and I'll stand here for a moment so you can walk away, then I break down your door and talk to Samuel Wakefield for more time because he is stressed about the door and not very coherent. But at this point, I have been here long enough that I'm not going to leave without talking to him."

The blonde woman paled and opened the door.

"Thank you," Diana said and walked into the living room. It was a small room decorated in the contemporary style but with no color. The whole room was shades of beige. In fact, based on the lack of personal items, it could have a room out of a furniture catalog.

"You're not going to hurt him?" the blonde asked.

"No. I won't even touch him." Diana said hurriedly.

Diana followed the woman up the stairs and down a well-lit but under decorated hallway past several closed doors. At the end of the hall was another door. The faint sound of a television crime procedural fluttered towards them. The blonde knocked once.

"Honey? Someone is here for you."

"I don't want to see anyone," a deep male voice called.

"Oh, for the love of Hera," Diana muttered and opened the door.

A large man dressed in a t-shirt was lying in the queen sized bed in a room that should have been another house. Every surface was covered with photographs, of the blonde and the man together, of groups of people, animals and vacation photos. Diana found the contrast momentarily disconcerting. Bed sheets covered his lower half, but his right arm was wrapped in a bandage and two fingers on his left hand were in a splint. His strong face was covered in bruises that were a few days old.

Batman's voice echoed in her head: "_the four thugs robbing the museum were a diversion."_

He certainly had found them diverting.

"Hello, Samuel Wakefield. I am Diana of Themysciria. I wanted to talk to you about why you were in that Gotham museum a few days ago."

The man threw the blonde woman a frantic look. "You let Wonder Woman in the house?"

The woman turned to Diana as if seeing her for the first time.

"She promised not to touch you," the blonde said, without moving her eyes off of Diana.

"And I won't. I just want you to answer my questions. About six hours after Batman was attacked in Gotham, you called Amanda Waller and told her that you would not be coming into work. You told her you were at home but she noted that she thought you were in a hospital. I want to know why you were in that museum. I want to know why you attacked Batman."

Wakefield looked at the woman and the two had a silent conversation. After a few seconds, he nodded and the woman went to the closet and pulled out a suitcase. She started pulling clothes out of the dresser and putting them into the suitcase like someone with a lot of experience.

_Interesting_.

Her ear communicator buzzed for a moment, but fell silent. _Did they need batteries?_

Diana turned back to Wakefield. "Museum?"

He sighed and looked at his wrapped fingers for a moment. "You won't believe me, but I don't know anything that will help you. That's on purpose. I was hired to go to that museum and try to steal a few artifacts. For all I know, I was testing the security measures for a new exhibit."

"What's your connection to Waller?"

Wakefield shrugged. "That was the number I was supposed to call if I had trouble. I am only supposed to be here for a few months."

His last sentence was the first thing he said that she believed. She wished she hadn't promised not to touch him because the urge to lasso him was very strong.

She was about to push a little harder for the truth, but the sound of brick exploding caught her attention. A small rocket was flying into the bedroom.

Diana had just enough time to throw the screaming woman on the bed and leap on top of them before the entire building started to collapse.

* * *

"Batman to Superman."

"It's not a good time," Superman said. He had been eating lunch at the Daily Planet and had heard an explosion outside of town. He was flying to check it out. Things shouldn't be exploding in his city.

"A condo just blew up outside of Metropolis."

Superman knew he was alone, but he indulged in a confused expression. That was undoubtedly what he was flying towards, but a condo explosion was a bit small for the Justice League, especially in a city that a member called home. And why was Bruce sticking his nose in Metropolis? They had a deal about that. They broke it all the time, but it did exist.

"I heard the explosion. Thought I would lend a hand. Wait, are you on monitor duty?"

"No, I'm in a stock meeting," Batman said sarcastically. "I'm proving to you that I know everything."

The Dark Knight's voice grew serious. "I'll meet you on site."

"Why? And why did the condo explode?"

"Not sure. But Diana was in there when it blew."

Superman increased his speed.

* * *

She couldn't figure out how to move the rubble without hurting the two underneath her. If she was alone, she would have stood up and pushed everything off of her. The problem with that in this situation was debris would roll off her head and pound the woman and Wakefield. She didn't want to shift enough to access her communicator to call for assistance for the same reason. But an explosion like this in Metropolis would bring Superman. She just needed to wait.

Of course, while she was waiting, the person who launched the rocket was getting further and further away.

"Diana!" A voice called.

_Bruce?_

She closed her eyes and keeping herself as flat as possible, she began to lift into the air. When the rubble began to threaten the two others, she stopped and hovered. She was up only about a foot.

"Diana!"

He had seen her. She heard him climbing the pile near her.

She was sure he was wondering why she wasn't getting out of the pile on her own. And knowing Bruce, his first thoughts were terrible.

"I have two unconscious here with me!" she yelled.

"Here! I found her," Batman called to someone else. "No! Shoo! Find the maniac who did this!"

She was aware that he was close. But she had a rock on her head and didn't move.

"How much higher can you get?" Batman asked.

"Without dropped a boulder on the people I just saved? Maybe another inch."

"Do it," he ordered. "On three."

"Three," she confirmed.

They counted together. On three, she pushed up and watched as Batman's cape flew in underneath her and blanketed the two unmoving figures.

With the Wakefields protected, Diana flung the rubble off and stood. Batman started barking orders with his communicator. In a second, Batman's cape and the two it protected transported to the Watchtower.

"Thank you," she said.

He did not reply. His jaw was clenched, his fists were clenched and he was leaning slightly forward as if he wanted to attack her. But he didn't say anything.

She knew this trick. He used it with suspects. He was silent and intimating and waiting for the other person to start talking.

It didn't worked on her. She just smiled and winked at him.

His body language relaxed a bit.

"Princess," he said.

The sound of sirens interrupted him. Diana turned towards the mess.

The division of labor was obvious.

"The rocket came from that roof," she said pointing to another condo to the south. "Check it out and I'll help clean up here."

"Then we talk," he ordered.

She bristled a bit at his tone, but it could wait; besides she had been ordering him around too.

"When I'm finished, I'll come to the Cave," she said.

He nodded and activated his communicator.

"Batman to Superman."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: There are several shout-outs to two different shows in this chapter (well, that I meant to do, who only knows what else is in here). There isn't a prize for finding them although I'm certainly willing to officially acknowledge your good taste in animation if you do. The argument at the end was inspired by an email chain at batmanwwarkham2. And yes, they will manage to get through the next chapter without being in mortal danger.  
**

Chapter Four

He was having a bad influence on her.

A year ago, Diana's sentence "When I'm finished, I'll come to the Cave" would have meant that when she was finished helping the first responders with the condo, she would have come immediately to the Batcave, covered in dust and sweat and self-righteousness. However, since Batman had left for patrol without seeing her, he knew that what she hadn't said, namely what she would finish. She probably finished helping, decided she needed to clean up, went back to the Watchtower, checked on the people she saved and three or four others things that would be technically a part of "finishing" with the condo incident.

However, since it was Diana, he knew she wasn't avoiding him nor forgetting about their agreement.

Of course, she was having a bad influence on him. Rather than go up to the Watchtower and demand to know what she was doing, he had spent the afternoon studying the kryptonite bomb and the reports on Diana and Kent's interviews with Waller, knowing full well that, whatever she was doing, when Diana came to the Cave, she would have more information to share.

So, he was in the Batmobile, on patrol, knowing full well that when he returned, she would be there, still covered in self-righteousness but at least smelling good.

He entered the warehouse area of the city. A small spike of activity started there about a week ago but it refused to flesh out a real pattern. Something about it suggested a pattern was coming. He just needed to be patient.

He saw the flash of a red laser pointer from a roof of the building on the passenger side. He stopped the Batmobile and waited for a responding laser light. None came. He prepared to climb to the roof of the warehouse and pursue the first light when the proximity alarm on the Batmobile started to beep.

He activated the car's camcorder.

An armored Humvee with a rocket launcher turned the corner behind one of the warehouses and was speeding towards him.

Batman put the Batmobile in reverse. The Batmobile would have no problems outrunning an armored Humvee. He wondered briefly if the driver of the Humvee knew that.

He saw another vehicle pull out from a warehouse behind and on his left before the alarm sounded. As a result, he maneuvered the Batmobile around that vehicle, pulled to the right and shot into the forward direction.

Now there were two Humvees following him.

_There were five involved with the museum. Four were a distraction._

A rocket flew over him and tore a hole into the street ahead. Batman saw an embankment between the car and the hole. He slowed the car down, hit the ramp with the left front tire and the Batmobile was on two wheels. He drove past the hole and then turned the steering wheel to the left to get the car back on all fours. He gunned the engine until the other wheels caught traction.

If he were trying to trap a car with slower moving vehicles and only had five people, he would have a gunner on one vehicle and use the other three as drivers to herd the car towards the Humvee with the weapon.

At that thought, a flash of the man he had thrown his cape over materialized.

_Broken fingers. They are down at least one man._

The proximity alarm screamed. It was the same set up as the museum. The sniper was using a rocket launcher. He forced the Batmobile into spin. The rocket missed but pieces of cement from the exploding warehouse pounded the Batmobile. Now he was speeding back towards the Humvees. They responded by driving in reserve, clearly wanting to get the Batmobile back in rocket range.

He knew he could get away from the Humvees without a problem and in the process, evade the sniper on the warehouse roof, even in the unlikely event that the sniper moved from one building to another with the rocket launcher. However, he wasn't sure the camcorder had gotten anything other than footage of the Humvees. Since they were following the same pattern as before, just with different props, Batman was confident the sniper was in charge of the team and someone was in charge of the sniper.

So what he needed was to flush out the sniper and get a picture of him on the camcorder.

The obvious way to solve the problem presented itself. It was not optimal but it had the best chance to get him what he wanted.

He hit a few buttons on the control panel so that the camcorder would record both on the Batmobile's hard drive and the one in the Batcave.

He hit the jet engine, worked up the speed and rammed into the front Humvee which sent it crashing back into the second one. He got the lift he wanted and started driving over the first Humvee and launched the Batmobile into the air.

The rocket flew towards the Batmobile. He directed the camcorder towards the point of initiation.

He estimated he got 10 seconds of footage before the rocket exploded into the back of the Batmobile.

* * *

Diana had seen the phone in the Mansion but had never heard it ring. It was silent whenever the other house phone trilled. It had caught her attention for other two reasons: it was the only grey handset in the house and it was by the kitchen stove, far away from the black handset mounted onto the wall by the counter.

She and Alfred had been talking at the table when it rang. Alfred paled when he heard it and, in an un-Alfred manner, ran to answer it.

Diana's adrenaline levels spiked on his behalf.

He picked it up and listened for what seemed like an hour. Then he said simply "that is correct, sir."

There was more silence, spanning time. Then he said, "very good, sir" and hung up the phone.

"What? What happened," Diana nearly shrieked, despite her plan to keep her voice under control.

Alfred took a deep breath. Whatever had happened, Alfred was completely Alfred again.

"The Batmobile is no longer functioning. Master Bruce would like you to bring him and the car back to the Cave."

"Me?" She reached for her ear and her communicator was in place. She was sure that she had not missed a call.

"It is faster for a League member to go retrieve him. If I go, it requires more…evasive maneuvers and that we activate the self-destruct on the vehicle."

She smiled faintly. "I am sure that even for me there is more to it than my flying over there and bringing him back."

Alfred returned the smile. "You know Master Bruce very well."

* * *

Batman was sitting quietly in the crushed remains of the Batmobile. The top wouldn't open and after the fall, it had dented enough that he didn't want to try to force the issue by trying to eject out.

Contrary to popular belief, he was not suicidal.

He was aware that a vehicle had arrived and picked up the members of the Humvee team. Apparently, they were in no condition to pursue him further. He supposed the fight was a draw.

The mix of the jet engine and the impact of the rocket sent the car into a small stream that bordered one side of the warehouses. He was working on transferring the car's computer to the Cave's hard drive when he felt the car lift.

"Damn it, Diana," he hollered into the communicator. "Put the car down!"

The car stopped lifting but it didn't go down.

"I thought that I was supposed to bring you and the car back to the Batcave," she replied. Her slow, calm voice was a sign that she not amused.

"You are. But I need to be seen walking away from this accident," he barked.

"Fine," she said and dropped the car.

"Diana!" he scolded into the communicator.

"Oh Batman," he heard her say too loudly and too insincerely. "Thank Hera, you are all right. Let me open the roof so that you can get some fresh air."

"Knock it off," he snarled.

"I haven't saved you yet," she replied.

"I noticed that."

She ripped the car roof off and looked down at him. "I don't think there is anyone here."

"You aren't paying attention," he said and stood up. Sure enough, there was movement in the shadows. She shrugged her shoulders but appeared underwhelmed by either the figures in the shadows or his observation or both.

"So, how do we do this?" she asked. "Do I just carry the car and let you walk back to the Cave? Don't want the Riddler thinking poorly of you if he sees you getting carried."

"Damn it, the criminals in this city need to know that I can walk away from these things. No one just assumes that I'll get up if a building falls on me or my car hits a rocket."

"How about this? I'll punch you in the face and everyone can watch you get up again. Then we'll all feel better."

As hard as it was to do in the crumbled wreck of the Batmobile, he turned to face her and squared his shoulders.

"Oh Wonder Woman," Batman said wryly, "punching people in the face is your answer to everything."

He sat down again. "Just set the top on and let's get out of here. I am sure Alfred told you the way."

The sound of her muttering under her breath was silenced by the roof of the Batmobile. Batman knew it only meant a short reprieve from the rant Diana was working herself up to.

By the time he was back in the Batcave and literally dropped on the ground, he was looking forward to having someone to yell at.

Diana lifted the roof and placed it gently on the ground. The civility surprised him until he saw Alfred walking into the Cave, holding a medical kit.

Batman moved so that he was standing about three feet in front of Diana. They were squaring off.

"Not necessary, Alfred," Batman said, gesturing at the kit. "The car died protecting its driver."

Alfred made a point of spending several silent seconds looking at the remains of the Batmobile. "It does appear so, sir."

And since Diana could probably light Gotham for a few hours with the intensity of her anger, Batman looked at Alfred. "Alfred, would you excuse us for a few minutes?"

Alfred made a point of looking at Diana for several silent seconds.

"Very good sir." Alfred turned sharply on his heels and left in the elevator.

Diana waited until the elevator doors shut. Barely. "I told you not to go about making yourself a target for Cadmus."

"First of all, I don't take orders from you. Actually, that is all of it. But, Princess, if I needed to make another point, I would say that you should take your own advice."

Diana shook her head. "What? That person was after Wakefield, who was one of the people in the museum attack on you. I was fortunate enough to be there to save him."

"You don't know that."

"I do know that."

"No. You think it. You have no way of knowing it."

"Can we get back to the people launching rockets at you?" Diana said.

"I thought they were connected," Batman said logically.

"Yes, but enough. Cadmus is targeting you, Bruce."

"And you, with your powerful meta ways, want me safe and sound while you take all the risks."

"Someone launched a rocket at you!" Diana repeated, louder this time.

"Probably the same person who launched one at you," Batman said calmly.

Diana growled slightly. "I know you distrust meta powers, but you should take advantage of those you trust with them."

That was his in.

"I do. And in return, I'd hope that you'd take advantage of my talents and skills and not go barreling off on your own."

"I am perfectly capable of –"

He cut her off. "No. You aren't. You are terrible at questioning suspects. You have a lasso of truth, Diana. The gods gave it to you because you needed it. Because where you grew up, people answered questions fully and honestly. But you use it to swing things around more often than you use it to get information. Someone dropped a building on you because he thought you might learn something. It was a waste of a rocket. And you almost managed to kill a source of information and an innocent bystander in the process."

"I saved them!"

"And put them at risk!"

"You don't know that!"

"But you don't know I'm wrong!"

"I'd expect-"

"I expect you to **get up** when a building falls on you, dammit!"

Diana paused. Batman wasn't entirely sure where that came from.

"Oh," she said softly. "Well, that's where you luck out. I can't count on that, can I?"

That hurt mostly because she had accepted the pain of it.

He looked at her for a moment and removed his cowl. "We're no good at this."

"This?" Diana asked and her voice suggested she was confused.

"This," Bruce snapped, waving at the air between them.

"Us?" Diana said. Then she laughed. For a surreal moment, the sound of her laughter echoed around the Cave.

"As compared to what?" she said when she got her breath back. "The other rich-boys-with-issues/Amazon couples you know? League members? Metas and non-metas? No other part of our life is normal by any standard you'd like to use. Why should this be? Or, why does it _have_ to be? I'm happy. Even when I'm watching you hang unconscious from a building or flying to your ruined car, I'm happy. Why must you insist on something normal?"

"Princess," he said, not entirely sure what he wanted to say.

"Do you know what my mother would do if she found out that I was involved romantically a man? Needing a man?"

"No," he said honestly.

"I don't know if she would know what to do, either," she said with a mournful smile. "Because the notion is so foreign to her and my sisters. Because it isn't normal for Amazons. Normal is boring and ugly. I wasn't born for normal and neither were you."

"You don't need me, Diana."

"You don't get to voice an opinion on that," she said. There was no bitterness in her voice. "But it means that I will be just as overprotective of you as you are of me."

She closed the space between them and put her hand on his cheek. He slipped his empty hand around her waist.

"I'm not overprotective," he said.

"Don't make me use the lasso," she said and when he smiled faintly, she kissed him.

For the next several hours, he did not think about the sniper who was after both of them.

The sniper was thinking of them.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I don't think I have done the usual "I don't own anything nor am I/do I expect to profit from this." So, please consider it done and applied for all past and future chapters.

**Chapter Five**

Diana walked out the training room of the Watchtower and nearly collided with a streak of red. Fortunately the speedster could stop on a dime.

She was glad to see him. Theirs was a sibling relationship, but rather than Flash being the annoying little brother, he was the little brother she doted on and always made her smile.

"I was looking for you" Flash said seriously, almost angry.

His tone stopped Diana. Wally could be serious but left to his own devices, he took life lightly. She knew it made Batman crazy, but she admired it. So when Flash was serious, she had learned she needed to be serious.

"I didn't realize you were back. Was your mission successful?" she asked as she wiped her face with a towel. Flash had been off world for four days as part of a team.

"Yeah. But I got back and heard about Bats," he said.

As it still sometimes happened with Diana when talking to people who were born and raised in Man's World, she felt she was missing something important. Rather than say something, she just waited.

"They tried to unmask him," Flash said.

"Yes. Unsuccessfully."

"That means we didn't stop them. When they tried with me," he said.

Again, she wasn't sure what Flash was trying to say. Of course they hadn't stopped anyone. They never caught who was responsible. She had threatened Amanda Waller to stay away, but even as she had done it, Diana knew that Amanda wouldn't listen.

"We have to get them this time," Flash said, even with the top half of his face covered, Diana could see the guilt. However, that didn't mean he needed to get involved.

"No, there is no 'we.' I will take care of it," she said definitively.

Flash smiled returning a bit to his usual self. "No. There is a we. And I am part of it. Yay team."

Diana narrowed her eyes before she responded. "There is a list somewhere with potential identities for the Flash. And on that list is Wally West. I will not let you risk being exposed by getting involved. Let the person without an identity to protect take care of this."

"Wow, you spend too much time with Bats. You sound like him. Raging paranoid and refusing help. You and I need to work together more. Mellow you right out."

Diana arched an eyebrow at him.

"Bats ignored you too when you told him you were handling it, huh? Probably the same reason that I am. Because I would prefer that I be in charge of protecting my identity, thanks so much. Besides, they probably decided I was too hard to get so they went after an easy target like Bats."

A thought flashed across Diana's mind but there wasn't quite enough of it to grasp.

"Say that again," she ordered.

"Which part?"

"The last part," she said.

"They probably decided I was too hard to get and so they went after Bats, the easy target?"

That was it. She gave him an affectionate squeeze on the arm.

"You are a genius!" she said and dashed to her room. She needed to get cleaned up as quickly as possible.

Funny how in such a short amount of time she could feel like she hadn't been in Man's World long enough and she had been here too long.

* * *

While Amanda Waller was in the Watchtower, there had been a shift of power at Cadmus. It was subtle, but no one was looking her in the eye. Before, it was because they were looking down because she scared them. Now, they were looking to one side because they were embarrassed for her.

Being embarrassed for her was unacceptable.

The staff meeting had been worse. She refused to explain where she had been but had demanded in-depth project reports. They hadn't satisfied her either. She stepped out of the meeting and told her admin to get all the itemized department budget reports during the meeting so no one had time to hide anything. When she returned, the sudden hush suggested that another meeting had broken out while she had been gone. She muddled through the rest of the meeting, knowing that she would have to fall back with the budgets and spend several hours, if not days, looking for the hidden funds and projects.

And Samuel Wakefield seemed to have dropped off the Earth.

But now, the meetings were done, the budgets were in hand and Amanda had a fresh cup of coffee and several colors of highlighters and a calculator. She was going to find the bastard working behind her back and she was going to unleash hell on him.

"I see you got the window fixed," a strong female voice said.

Angry at work and now at the invasion of Wonder Woman, Amanda pulled the gun out of her desk drawer and aimed it up at the new gap in the ceiling where Wonder Woman had removed a tile and waited.

"Really?" Wonder Woman said, her voice full of boredom and disgust. She floated down to the floor.

"I come in peace," the princess said with a soft smile. "For now."

Amanda kept the gun trained on the Amazon. Her general philosophy was that she didn't pull a gun unless she was prepared to fire. In theory, she was, but she also knew it was pointless. What was worse is that both she and Wonder Woman knew it.

"Peace? I find that hard to believe," Amanda answered.

"I think you told me the truth and I'm hoping you let me prove it."

"The magic lasso?" Amanda said with a sneer as she watched Wonder Woman's hand move to grasp the rope. "You think I'm going to let you anywhere near me with that thing?"

Wonder Woman moved closer to Amanda and sat down regally on the edge of Amanda's desk. Her smug ignoring of the gun was infuriating.

"This is what I think," the Justice League founder said. "I think that you do know who Batman is. And I think that is why you went after Flash. But someone who doesn't know who Batman is decided that Batman isn't a meta so he'd be easier to catch than Flash. But it would still be unmasking a Founder. And I don't think you know who that person is. And I think you aren't going to rest until you do."

Amanda said nothing but she did return the unfired gun to her desk drawer.

"The funny thing is that a couple of years ago, I would have assumed you were telling me the truth the whole time. But a couple of years ago, I would have thought of you as misguided sister rather than what I think of you now."

"Which is?"

Wonder Woman smiled. "Probably along the lines of what you think of me."

Amanda didn't say anything. Wonder Woman arched an eyebrow and looked quickly at the window of the office. It happened so quickly Amanda thought she may have imagined it.

"Am I right?" Wonder Woman asked, crossing her legs.

"No," Amanda said. "I will get some sleep tonight."

Wonder Woman stood up, clearly disappointed.

"I'm right. You know I'm right. We share a common enemy. You should assist me to bring that enemy to justice."

Amanda smiled darkly. "I don't think we have the same idea of what should be done with our common enemy."

"They tried again," Wonder Woman said.

"And?"

"Who called in sick today?"

"I would never give you that information," Amanda replied, insulted by the idea that she might share with the Amazon.

Wonder Woman sighed loudly and stood. "Well, all right. I thought we might work faster if we pooled our information. However, since I will find the enemy first, I will stop wasting my time and let you get back to, ah," she glanced over at the papers on Amanda's desk, "balancing your checkbook."

With that, she flew up into the ceiling and had the audacity to return the ceiling tile into position when she left. Amanda fumed for several minutes before focusing on her work. Giving information to the League? The princess had clearly lost her mind.

* * *

"Today's staff meeting was a joke," he said darkly to his team. They were meeting in the basement of the office as _she_ hadn't gone home yet. The conference room in the basement was seldom used, mostly because it was dark even with the lights on. In the case of this meeting, where the lights were muted for a presentation, it seemed almost dank.

He had planned not to mention Wakefield and the other members of the team who either were injured or whose men had become injured. But it was too big not to mention.

"We've had injuries," he said. "And until we find Wakefield, we won't know what he's told them. We need to step up our game. And I think the best way to do that is to stop worrying about unmasking someone."

He hit a button on the small remote and the projector sprang to life. On the screen was a photo of the Justice League Founders.

"So, let's review," he said and hit the remote again. A photo of Superman filled the screen.

"So, basically unless we get another batch of Kryptonite, he is off our list," he said and clicked again. Green Lantern frowned back at them. "I don't know much about the Green Lantern Corps but I know we don't want to fight them and the Justice League until we take down the League a few pegs."

_Click._

"I don't even think the League is clear on the status of Hawkgirl."

_Click._

"I am not sure taking out the Martin would have the impact we need."

"I'm not against targeting the Flash again. Does anyone have anything new on him?"

Several heads shook.

"All right."

_Click._

"The Amazon. I know she can block bullets with her bracelets, but I do believe that if we had several snipers covering her from different directions, we might hit her. Anyone know what happens if we do hit her?"

"I don't know that anyone has," came the response.

"Any ideas?"

"Her armor is rumored to have a weakness but I don't know that anyone has found it," came another voice from the table.

"I don't know that she has a version of Kryptonite," said another.

"What else do those bracelets block? Fire? What if we hit her with a flame thrower?"

"Or a grenade?"

"Lasers? Do those things reflect?"

There were several minutes of discussion until one voice said, "I thought the point was not to go after a meta. I thought the point was to take out Batman and call it a day. If you want to kill him rather than unmask him, I am fine with that. But let's prove we can get him before we go after a meta."

He looked towards the voice but it was too dark to make out a face. It was a direct threat to his command of his group. He would have to identify and deal with the voice later.

_Click._

Batman's face stared back at them. "I am a believer in examining all options," he said. "However, I agree. She has spent years on projects to take out the metas with no results. We have spent only weeks working on Batman. But we need new thinking. I want action plans sent to the normal account by six tomorrow morning. And damn it, I want Batman dead before the end of the week."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

She had been in the office all night and it was back to regular office hours when Amanda found what she was looking for. At first, she was afraid it might be the result of too much coffee and too little rest. She checked again. And again. Then look a ten minute stroll and checked again.

There it was. A tiny notion in the wages that told her that Jackson Geary was getting paid twice during the same period. Considering that her sniper hadn't even done the job she had asked him to do, she found it highly insulting that he was taking other jobs.

Now that she knew what to look for, she looked back at some other departments. Sure enough, Wakefield was getting paid twice as well. There were a couple of others.

And someone was funneling funds into the department so that they could double pay these people.

She pounded her desk.

_I am going to kill them all._

But first, she needed to make sure she knew who was included in "them."

Or, she considered, maybe not.

She picked up the phone.

* * *

"_Batman to Superman."_

In a move perfected by years of practice, Clark Kent picked up his silent cell phone, flipped it open and activated his Justice League communicator as he moved the phone to his ear.

"Clark Kent," he said putting as much emphasis into the name as he could.

"The Wakefields have spent their last night in the Watchtower," Batman's voice growled.

"I'm not sure they would be comfortable with that," Clark replied. He was sitting at his desk at The Daily Planet where he had been going through the proofs from the photos associated with his story. He liked offering his opinion to the photo desk. He knew full well that the photo editor didn't appreciate his input, but that didn't stop him from offering it.

"I _am_ sure that I don't care," Batman replied. "They don't know anything useful."

"And they are so much more useful as bait," Clark replied sarcastically.

Batman made a noise that was too dark to be a chuckle but too amused to be a growl. "Do you actually believe that I would….actually, I am not going to ask that."

"Probably for the best," Clark replied. He heard a shuffle and realized that Lois Lane was pretending not to listen in on the call but was trying to lean closer to hear better. "Hold on, I need to get somewhere I can hear you better."

"Give Lois a little wave from me," Batman replied, a snarl that time.

"It _is_ regular working hours," Clark pointed out as he walked towards the elevator. The doors opened with a ping as he got the elevator bay.

"You aren't going to pretend you get reception on the elevator, are you? Just call me back when you get somewhere where you can talk," Batman said and disconnected.

"I actually do get reception in the elevator," Clark muttered as he snapped the phone closed.

He took his time getting off of the elevator and into the street. He usually just walked around the block. Most people were on phones of their own so no one would listen too closely to him.

But there was a limit. He knew he couldn't just call for Batman. He certainly wasn't introducing himself as Superman. Batman wouldn't answer if he asked for Bruce. The solution came to him. With a smile, he activated his communicator and put his cell phone back at his ear.

"Bats?"

There was a pause which Clark knew was Batman glaring at him.

"Out on the street doesn't count as private," came the reply.

"You called me," Clark replied, trying not to let the frustration get to him.

"Yes and now I'm regretting it."

"You don't have time for this," Clark said. "So, just tell me what you want."

"First, I have the Wakefields set up where they will be safe. Second, the bomb. It was expensive. So expensive that I can't believe how easy it was to find. Third, I found the sniper and I am going to see what he knows…." His voice trailed off.

The reporter smiled. Batman would do anything to protect his friends without having a single doubt. It was the saying that always caused him trouble. Clark was tempted to just let the Dark Knight struggle but thought the better of it.

"So, you are going to shake the tree and I'd better watch out in case something bright and green falls out," Clark said.

"Something like that. I'll have more on this later, but it doesn't make sense yet."

"Expensive and odd? Are you thinking Luther?"

"Not yet. And neither should you. Not until we know more."

"Okay," Clark said, letting the doubt seep into his voice. "Anything else?"

"Not now."

"Happy hunting then," Clark said and deactivated the communicator.

* * *

Diana pushed down the twinge of guilt as she flew the last several miles to her destination. Unless it was an emergency, she didn't like transporting into a neighborhood. It caused unnecessary attention. So, she hadn't. She had been dropped just below the air traffic lanes about five miles away. The Watchtower staff didn't like transporting her into open space, but they had learned to do it anyway.

Before the incident at the Wakefield residence and the bombing of the Batmobile, she had meant to travel to this house. Ken Regan had failed to come to work at Cadmus the same day that Steve Wakefield had so she suspected that he also had been roped into the museum job.

The burnt smell grabbed her attention first. It was stale. But it hovered in the air suggested that whatever had burned, it had been large.

It was almost the smell in the air after the Wakefield's condo had been destroyed. But this smell was somehow larger.

She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, she looked for the site. It was easy to see. It was the charred remains of a house. She delayed acknowledging the truth until after she landed and knew that Ken Regan's house had burned down.

The fire was long since extinguished. The crime scene tape was wrapped around what little was left. At some points, they had put stakes into the ground to tie the tape to.

She had walked the perimeter twice before she heard the footsteps of someone approaching. Diana looked up and saw a middle-aged man striding towards her. His eyes widened when he recognized her and he stopped walking.

"Can I help you?' he asked, the authority of his walking had not made it to his voice.

"I was looking for Ken Regan," Diana replied. "Where is he?"

"He died in the fire," the man replied. "Poor guy. I heard the explosion. It was late. The firemen, they, well, they found him in his bed."

"Thank you," she said. She wasn't sure what her expression was, but the man quickly turned and walked back to his house.

_Cadmus, _she thought and felt the anger rise.

She let it take over and took to the air.

The rules of Man's World could go to Hades.

* * *

Jackson Geary had just received a call about a job and it was three hours until dawn. What was it with Cadmus? Geary wondered casually if others were getting calls in the wee hours of the morning too or if he was the only lucky one. Certainly they couldn't all call with such stupid ideas as the one he had just gotten. It should have been a joke. _Kill Batman_, the caller had said as if it was that easy.

Geary had, at any opening, suggested that if they wanted to take out a member of the Justice League, one kryptonite bullet in Superman's heart and another through his head would do the trick. Sure, making the bullets would be hard, maybe impossible, he had no idea, but that was the way to do it.

But _no_. Apparently, Superman was too popular with the general public for that. The backlash would be counterproductive.

Geary would then suggest taking out several of the non-members. Pick off Black Canary, Green Arrow, Vixen and a few others and start a panic with the League. That also would be easy. Relatively, anyway.

But nope, they wanted a Founder. So, killing the only non-meta Founder of the Justice League was their solution. To them, the fact that he was the only non-meta meant it would be easier. It was laughable. Geary knew that _because_ the Dark Knight was the only non-meta it would be near impossible. What must he be in order to hang out with Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest of them as an equal?

The good news was that if he did manage to kill Batman, Geary would be able to pick and choose his jobs, which meant he would not have to work for idiots; even idiots who paid well, quickly and often in advance.

Geary had not been able to sleep since the call came. He had gone to the dining room table in his small studio apartment and pulled out the research he had done on Batman. It had taken time, but he had managed to find the spots in Gotham that Batman seemed to visit every night. There was no pattern to what time Batman would do his drive through of the area. The problem, as Geary had learned from experience, was the Dark Knight knew those areas so well that setting up a trap was nearly impossible.

Geary sighed, flipping through the notes on locations and the photographs he had. Nothing was inspiring him at the moment. He sighed again and looked at his watch. He either needed to lie down or just make coffee and admit he wasn't getting any rest.

Coffee won out. He stood and walked to the kitchen. He had poured the water into the machine and was about to grind the beans when he heard a quiet whooshing behind him. He spun around and saw Batman standing silently on the other side of the kitchen counter.

Geary felt his mind go blank in terror. He grabbed at the nearby knives but even as he did it, he knew it was sloppy. In an unseen motion, the Dark Knight grabbed Geary's wrists and pulled him away from the kitchen and back towards the living room.

Batman pushed Geary into an easy chair and stood over him, Batman's hands blocking Geary's escape. Geary struggled for several minutes before he heard the hiss of gas escaping and watched as Batman put a gas mask over his face.

When Geary regained consciousness, he was tied to a wooden chair in the dining area of his apartment. Geary struggled with the ropes as Batman waited, sitting quietly in a chair across from him. When Geary gave up, Batman leaned forward towards him. Just a few inches.

"Let's talk," the Dark Knight said menacingly.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

AN: Anyone who knows me knows I am way too nice to begin to imagine how Batman actually interrogates someone, let alone do any justice to the description so I didn't even try. My thanks to everyone who has been in touch with me recently, including Mrs. Flash and Silver Rose, for getting me back into this.

* * *

"I'm going to scream," Geary said, trying to get his brain to calm down enough that he could do it. A part of him was impressed that he could manage to speak coherently.

Batman leaned back in his chair. "Let me know when you're finished."

That was not the reaction Geary expected. It didn't help that although Batman's body language was casual, his voice was menacing. It sent his brain back into a whirl.

_Oh, God, make him go away. Just go, go away._ Geary thought, the words looping in his brain in his panic.

Batman leaned forward. "Who built the bomb?"

"Bomb?" Geary asked. He really had no idea what Batman was talking about. Then, after a moment, he remembered.

"I don't know. After I couldn't get your mask off, I delivered you to my contact."

"Name?"

"I don't know."

Batman's expression said _I don't believe you_.

"I don't. I really don't."

"You get two Cadmus paychecks. Amanda Waller signs one. Who signs the other?"

"I have direct deposit."

"You don't."

Geary stared. He was more afraid of Batman than he was of anyone at Cadmus but his career was over if he got a reputation for cracking under pressure. But his career was over if he died tonight.

"There are check stubs on my desk," Geary said quietly, motioning towards his desk with his head.

"That isn't Luthor's handwriting."

That was news to Geary. He had never spoken to Lex Luthor but he assumed that since the checks had cashed, it was Luthor's handwriting. Who was stupid enough to cross both Amanda Waller and Lex Luthor?

Batman stood and moved towards Geary. Geary had just managed to get his emotions under control but Batman's movements upped his blood pressure and sent his adrenaline flowing.

"I work with Amanda Waller on smaller things. Somebody wants a League founder and they've picked you but Waller has nothing to do with it," Geary said in a panic.

Batman stopped inches from Geary and stood silently.

"Steve Wakefield made the bomb," Geary said, picking the name of someone he figured was dead.

"No. He didn't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know when I am being lied to. You, for example, are lying to me."

And then he proceeded to interrogate Geary.

_Oh, God, make him go away. Just go, go away. Oh, God, make him go away. Just go, go away._

* * *

The part of Amanda that wasn't totally terrified was getting really tired of having Wonder Woman fly through her office window. It shattered, again, into a trillion pieces. But this time, the sound of the small pieces tinkling as they fell to the ground was drowned by an Amazonian roar.

All of Amanda was terrified as Wonder Woman wrapped her in the lasso, grabbed her by the collar and lifted her into the air and against the wall.

"Time to do this my way," Wonder Woman hissed. "I almost hope you lie to me. You'll hurt more."

The Amazon tossed her into a nearby chair.

Amanda screamed.

* * *

The shattered window tipped Batman off that there was clearly a situation in Amanda Waller's office. The scream of the Cadmus head confirmed that the situation was still developing. But what she screamed -"get it off, get it off! I can't talk about it"- crystallized the situation before he used a grappling hook batarang to propel himself into the office through the same opening Diana had made.

Amanda was sitting in a chair. Diana's lasso was wrapped around her and glowing violently. Diana stood over her. She quickly flicked her head in his direction, an acknowledgement of his arrival, but returned her gaze to Amanda.

"You are going to tell me what I want to know," Diana said.

"This ends, Diana," Batman said firmly. His fingers silently moved into a pocket in his utility belt and touched a small, metal cylinder.

The sound Diana made was a dry, angry, defiant sound. He pulled the cylinder from the pouch.

_Don't make me, Diana. I will do it._

"She is a risk to those I care about," Diana said. "She has killed others. She will kill more. By killing her, I end the risk."

"That isn't your way," Batman said.

She replied with a joyless laugh.

"I am an Amazon," she said. "If I brought the head of my enemy back home on the blade I sliced it off with, I would be celebrated for protecting my people."

"Not an option," he said.

Finally, she turned to him. She nearly radiated with rage. He knew his face was set just as hard. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the lasso had faded and Amanda was silently pleading with him for help.

"She has ordered people murdered," Diana said softly. "She tried to ruin Flash. I think she tried to kill you. But even if she didn't, she will not stop until she enslaves us, kills us or she dies. By any definition you want to use, she is a danger and I am within the right to kill her."

_Oh, sometimes I could just kiss her_, he thought and put the cylinder back in his belt.

Using the opening she had provided him, he said, "her own people are trying to take her out. Just let them."

The anger halted. Batman watched in amazement as Diana straightened up slowly. She seemed to transform from someone on the verge of murder to someone amused. Diana smiled at him and slowly turned back towards to Amanda.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Amanda said.

The lasso flashed and Amanda grunted at the pain.

"A mutiny?" Diana said to Amanda. "How embarrassing for you."

Amanda didn't reply. Diana turned towards Batman.

"So, everyone knows but me?" Diana said.

"How embarrassing for you," Amanda said bravely, considering the circumstances.

_Well, that was dumb_, Batman thought but Diana did not acknowledge the comment at all.

"Who would take her place? I should go talk to her," Diana said. "Maybe I could teach Amanda's replacement some manners."

"I don't know. Yet. But they want her out because she didn't want to kill me."

Wonder Woman arched an eyebrow of doubt. Batman didn't answer.

"I'm not done with her, Batman."

"You are," he replied.

Diana started to remove the lasso from Amanda. Once she was loose, Amanda tried to bolt from the chair. Batman watched as Diana tripped her and then put her foot on Amanda's back.

"I'm not done with you," she told Amanda.

"I'll talk to her," Batman answered.

Diana made a show of considering. Amanda struggled a bit. Diana looked down when she felt the movement. "Don't for a moment think I won't put this boot through your spine. These boots clean easily. And you'd probably live."

Amanda whimpered but stopped moving.

_Not helping,_ Batman thought.

"I need her help," Batman said.

"Actually, I think all you need are the account books she has on her desk. I have been too busy to look at them other than to see that someone has flagged some pages," Diana said.

_Interesting. _He looked over at the books. He would take those back to the Batcave.

"Oh, for the love of Hera, you want to work _with her?_" Diana asked. "She'd kill you if she thought it was in her best interest. It's a matter of when.

Batman remained silent. He had no idea how she gathered his plan from his body language.

Diana pulled herself taller, which Batman would not have thought possible considering her perfect posture and that she was balancing on one foot.

"I will only agree to this," she said regally, "because there is a chance we will fail and the Cadmus mutiny will succeed. And then, I will do it my way."

There was a lot of time before he had to worry about what "my way" meant and what he would have to do about it.

Diana clearly took Batman's silence as consent and allowed Amanda to go free. Amanda scrambled to her feet and stood for a moment looking more like a frighten animal than the head of an organization charged with neutralizing metas. The Dark Knight waited as Amanda pulled herself together. It didn't take as long as he would have thought.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Amanda demanded, haughtily.

"By all means," Diana said at the same time Batman said "no."

Diana glared at him and continued. "If you know who to trust and who you can't within your organization, we'll just leave you to it. I give you three days without our help. But that, as you know, is fine with me."

"Better to dance with the devil we know, Diana," Batman said quietly.

"I doubt that very, very much."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Eight

AN: I really like both Green Lantern and J'onn (and Hawkgirl – but the timeline of this story don't allow for her) but I don't write either of them well, for a variety of reasons that not even I find interesting. That is why they are not here. Believe me, if I didn't like them, I would have them all over the place and they would both sound (sadly) like pompous jerks. I tip my hat to those of you who can write them well. Ah well, on with the show.

* * *

Superman's eyes glowed with anger.

"Could you repeat that, please?" he said slowly as if he was carefully choosing his words.

Batman had been explaining the arrangement with Amanda Waller during the Founders' Meeting, which had only consisted of Flash, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman due to various mission obligations. Flash had made several choking noises during the presentation which Diana had wanted to address but Batman had ignored. Superman had managed, and received much credit from Diana for it, to wait until Batman was done before any reaction.

However, the reaction was like the rumbling of an active volcano. It wasn't if he would explode, it was how much damage he would do when he did.

The conference table had been built to withstand a meta's pounding. Diana wondered briefly if it would sustain a laser blast.

"Which part?" she asked simply. He didn't scare her.

Superman looked at her and the glow diminished. "Actually, Diana, I understood every word he said. What I don't understand is why _you_ let him sign us up for this deal. Cadmus imploding is a good for us."

Diana smiled faintly. Superman was one of the strongest, smartest people he knew but sometimes, since he was one of the best people she knew as well, he didn't always follow thinking that got a little underhanded.

She may have spent too much time with Batman.

"Kal-El, why do you think we are preventing it from imploding?" she asked. "We are just controlling the explosion. When Lex and Amanda discover who is taking matters into their own hands, what do you think they are going to do?"

Flash cocked his head in acknowledgement. "Won't be a parade."

Superman looked at Flash. "True, but this isn't how we should deal with Cadmus. It is one thing to let them destroy themselves. It is another to help them do it."

"I don't know," Flash said. "I like the way Diana put it. It sounds like we just continue to figure out who grabbed Bats. We just know that neither Waller nor Luthor is responsible. I think all we did was knock two of the usual suspects off our list. That's good, right?"

"_That_ I have no problem with," Superman said. "What I don't like is that we find out who is behind all of this and then we hand that person over to Amanda Waller? That isn't justice."

Diana turned to look at Batman. She knew he wouldn't let that stand. That was never the deal.

But he did wait several beats before replying.

"I agreed," he said simply and slowly, "to alerting Amanda Waller as to what we found. I never agreed to _giving_ anyone to anyone."

Superman looked at Diana for confirmation. She nodded in affirmation. "Cadmus justice is no justice at all."

"Ah," Superman said, his eyes slowly returning to Batman. "Yeah, I know better. There is no way you would let anyone else even look at whoever is behind this once you figure out who it is."

"However, if it isn't Waller or Luthor, do we actually have any idea who it might be?" Flash asked. Diana admired his ability to break up the bickering between Superman and Batman.

"Yes," Batman said. Diana looked at him and realized that he was done talking on the subject.

"Several members of Cadmus have been being paid for two different sources," Diana explained. "Amanda acknowledges that she paid all of them. The other checks have the name Lex Luthor on the pay line but it is not Lex Luthor's handwriting which means that Lex didn't sign it."

Batman cleared his throat. "It means that Luthor didn't authorize payment. Luthor doesn't sign the paychecks of his people but no one gets access to the checks with the image of his signature on it without his blessing, albeit not directly."

"So," Diana said, "is that it is someone in Cadmus. If it was someone in Luthor Corp. getting involved, they would probably have gotten the checks, right?"

"That is an assumption based on almost no facts, so, no, that probably is not right," Batman said.

Diana considered for a moment. "But I think it is right. I think it is someone in Cadmus."

"Of course you do," Batman said.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means that you think Cadmus is involved because you always think Cadmus is involved," Batman said. "And Superman thinks Luthor is involved because he always thinks Luthor is involved. Which is why neither of you is in charge of this investigation, no matter what either of you might think."

Diana was considering multiple responses to that when Flash leaned over the table.

"You are personally involved too," Flash said. "I think I need to be in charge. I am a neutral observer."

Diana could have sworn the temperature of the room dropped several degrees with Batman's glare. She considered that for a moment. Batman's glares didn't scare her but the intensity of this one was indicative of a bigger problem. The one Flash pointed out.

"Or, you know, not," Flash said with a gulp.

"No," Diana said, "he makes a good point."

"I do?" Flash asked. "I mean, yeah, I do!"

Diana smiled at the Speedster. "Well, with the exception of the neutral party part. In very recent memory, someone has tried to unmask Flash, unmask Batman and harmed both Superman and me, although not as directly. I believe all the Founders need to partner up, or at least stay in constant contact until we find who is behind this. As a safety precaution."

Flash grabbed Diana's hand and raised both their arms in the air. "Dibs!" he called merrily.

"Impossible," Batman said.

"No, it's okay, we get along wonderfully," Flash said, obviously faking his lack of understanding.

There was a moment of silence. Only Batman's wasn't an amused quiet.

"I think she's right," Superman said. "Just recent, regular check-ins. Say, hourly."

The image of Batman hanging from the building flashed unwelcomed in her mind.

"A lot can happen in an hour," Diana said.

"I _may_ agree to hourly," Batman said. "But I know I am not agreeing to more often than that."

"Well, if Bats is being agreeable, I say we make this official before he comes to his senses."

"I have conditions," the Dark Knight said.

"Of course you do," Superman said with a faint smile.

"First, both Flash and Superman must be on planet until this is over. Anyone misses a check in, we need Superman's hearing or Flash's speed to get to the last location. The newbies can cover your monitor shifts. Second, we have check-ins on a separate channel on the communicators. It can't be general knowledge that we are doing this. Third, the other Founders stay off world until this is solved. Three of you to worry about is enough."

Flash leaned over the table with his arms flat, hands palm down in and stretched out in front of him. "Oh, I _knew_ you cared," he teased.

"I wasn't the one hanging from a building," Superman pointed out flatly.

"No, the one with the most well-known weakness in the universe hasn't been targeted recently," Batman said darkly. "Can't imagine why you crossed my mind at all."

Diana turned towards Superman. It was one of the few times she was worried for her nearly indestructible friend. "That's a good point."

"No one has targeted you directly either," the Man of Steel told her.

"Okay, so everyone needs to be careful, right?" Flash said. "That's what we've learned today? And Batman's conditions are reasonable so we are going with those. So, let's sync watches and tell J'onn and GL to stay put."

There was no formal agreement but with Flash's words, the Founders found themselves on lockdown.

* * *

"What I want to know," Amanda Waller said, "is if there is some way to get a steel sheet put in instead of a window. I don't know that it will stop her, but at least I wouldn't be regularly showered in glass. Or bullet-proof glass?"

The facilities worker looked at the shattered remains of the window. A team had completed boarded the empty space. She was looking at the boards with disgust. Her life had gotten a little too strange recently. She liked control. She liked knowing what was going on. Wondering if an angry Amazon was about to charge through her window was not something she should be forced to do. And now….

Well, she wasn't going to think about what she'd agreed to, in this space, hours before.

"I'll have a list of options for you by the end of the day," the head of the repair team told her, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Excellent," she said.

"I don't know," a highly-educated male voice said from behind her. "Perhaps you should wait to make sure Wonder Woman is done with you."

Waller knew the smooth voice, which sounded the same as dozens of Ivy Leaguers she had met. Bryan Tranter was, well, she had no idea what his actual title was, but he served as a liaison between herself and Lex Luthor on the occasions when Luthor wanted something but also wanted to maintain some distance. He was definitely Luthor's man, or at least, he never came running when she wanted something.

She turned slowly to face him. He was dressed very well but everything about him was forgettable. She suspected that was his greatest asset. He was tall, but not enough to comment on. He was well built with the slim strength of a regular jogger. His sandy blond hair was cut in a classic businessman's style. His clothes were of good quality but there was no feature in the clothing or the man that would stay with her long after he left. In fact, it occurred to her that she had no idea when she had seen him last, or where.

That bothered her. She didn't know why, but she made a mental note to keep better track of Bryan Tranter.

"Mr. Luthor asked me to make sure you were all right," Tranter said.

"Lex's concern is flattering," she said in a tone that made it quite clear that it wasn't. "I wasn't aware that Wonder Woman's visit was common knowledge."

"Oh, Ms Waller, there is nothing about Mr. Luthor's knowledge that is common," Tranter replied smoothly. "But he is concerned that Cadmus perhaps should abandon this location if the Justice League is regularly visiting."

"Wonder Woman still hasn't gotten over finding Batman strung up in Metropolis," Waller replied.

Tranter's brow wrinkled for a split second in confusion. "I didn't realize she had moved on after Flash."

Waller had forgotten about that. The highly publicized relationship between Wonder Woman and Flash had been so obviously a farce to her.

"Well, she has."

Tranter looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Does Mr. Luthor know?"

Waller smiled at him like a hungry cat facing a mouse. "Mr. Tranter, I do not know what Mr. Luthor knows. I certainly have put it into recent reports," she lied convincingly. "If he actually reads them, I do not know."

Tranter turned to leave, all the lightness gone from his posture. "I'll make sure he is aware," he said and hurried out.

"Interesting," Waller muttered under her breath.

She turned to say something to the facilities head but he had slipped out while she was talking to Tranter.

* * *

A ping altered him of a new email message. It was hours late, but the first decent plan on ridding the world of Batman had finally arrived.


End file.
